With regard to the university building, I'm really trying to decide whether it was all worth it.
If it was really that important couldn't they have just left it where it was and built their new block somewhere else?
The thing that struck me about the whole approach was that it was typically American. Brute force and no finesse. Every solution had the air of a unthinking reaction. Problem: Building in the way. Solution: Move it.
Problem: Building fragile because of cavity wall construction. Solution: Fill cavity with concrete.
Problem: End of building is falling off because we're pissing around with it. Solution: Tie it back on.
They also seemed like a bunch of chancers trying stuff out without really knowing what was going to happen.
The thing that did make me laugh was the other house that had been transported by dismantling it brick by brick then reassembling. The only problem was that the people doing the dismantling numbered all the bricks on the outside face with indellible marker.